Had a conversation with some buddies Saturday while we all were out with our respective dogs. We started talking about cabinet members from various administrations and tried to identify the most underappreciated ones. The bad ones were pretty easy to spot-Robert McNamara and John Mitchell and a few others.
We came up with 2:
Elizabeth Dole
George Schultz (my selection)
Schultz portrayed the stoic figure that always seemed to exude confidence and intelligence. Not sure he gets enough credit for all he did during the Reagan administration. For example, he's the guy who convinced Reagan to open up a dialogue with Gorbachev, as Schultz believed that the Soviet pull out from Afghanistan signaled that the Soviets were in dire straits. Schultz also talked about how Reagan's foreign policy was shaped by Schultz refusal to play politics with the intelligence services and foreign office and simply rely upon quality assessments from anyone willing to work.
Schultz learned from the best when he worked in the Eisenhower administration on his counsel of economic advisors. Very bright guy who wore many hats for other presidents. Always liked him.
Dole had an impressive run as secretary of transportation--completely revamping some of the safety rules for the better.
We came up with 2:
Elizabeth Dole
George Schultz (my selection)
Schultz portrayed the stoic figure that always seemed to exude confidence and intelligence. Not sure he gets enough credit for all he did during the Reagan administration. For example, he's the guy who convinced Reagan to open up a dialogue with Gorbachev, as Schultz believed that the Soviet pull out from Afghanistan signaled that the Soviets were in dire straits. Schultz also talked about how Reagan's foreign policy was shaped by Schultz refusal to play politics with the intelligence services and foreign office and simply rely upon quality assessments from anyone willing to work.
Schultz learned from the best when he worked in the Eisenhower administration on his counsel of economic advisors. Very bright guy who wore many hats for other presidents. Always liked him.
Dole had an impressive run as secretary of transportation--completely revamping some of the safety rules for the better.